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“Panfish, especially big ones, can be ultra color specific, one day to the next and even one hour to the next, as light levels and weather conditions change,” Nelson says. “So a wide array of colors and shapes of jigs and plastics helps you solve the puzzle more rapidly to catch more pannies.”

VMC’s extra-wide Pug Bug Jig creates an enhanced sonar return, making it easier to mark in deep water with lower-sensitivity gain settings on your sonar. Pairing it with a Trigger X Mustache Worm is a “deadly combination” for crappies and bull bluegills, Nelson says.

With an easy-to-rig egg sac and two tapering appendages, the Mustache Worm resembles a small fry or micro-plankton. “The ‘mustache’ action is created by jigging the bait slightly up and down, undulating the appendages, which brings the bait to life,” says James Holst, host of In-Depth Outdoors TV on the Fox Sports North Channel. “It has proven itself to be one of the best big-fish soft baits I’ve ever dropped below the ice.”

The Pug Bug’s wide gap hook accommodates the Mustache Worm’s egg sac with plenty of room left over to bury the hook point deep.

When finicky basin crappies or weed-line bluegills are feeding on tiny insects and invertebrates, Holst will tie on a Larvae Jig. Ready to go right out of the package, Larvae Jigs come pre-rigged with Trigger X Larvae soft baits.

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“Modeled on Euro Larvae, a main staple in panfish angling for decades, Trigger X Larvae matches the size and texture of the real thing,” Holst says. “Fish one Larvae for a finesse presentation, or stack them up to create the traditional ‘chandelier’ profile that big panfish can’t resist.” Holst will tie on a pre-rigged Larvae Jig when clear water, intense fishing pressure or cold-front conditions “have the fish in a funk,” he says.

Pre-rigged with a Trigger X Wax Tail soft bait, VMC’s Wax Tail Jig is a deadly combination for weedline-hugging bluegill and open-basin crappie. Holst slowly twitches a Wax Tail pairing in place when fish are in a finicky mood. “The subtle action turns lookers into biters,” he says.

The Wax Tail Jig comes in 1/100, 1/50 and 1/32 ounce sizes. “Fish the 1/32 ounce jig when fish are keying on larger prey,” says ICE FORCE pro Brad Hawthorne. “Drop down to the 1/100 ounce when the bite gets tough or the fish are feeding on micro-invertebrates.”

Jig and plastic pairings have a definite place in every ice angler’s arsenal. Take it from the pros: when heading out onto the hard water, use these simple but deadly offerings to catch more and bigger panfish.